Near To You (One Direction Fan Fiction)

Chapter Nineteen

Near to You

19

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And now I steal the words he ended with: I miss you. And I do miss you.

Hi & Low – The Wanted

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            It had been a full month, almost. The time did not pass quickly, either. It was a slow, antagonizing process as I waited for things to look up. They never did. I was well into my second semester by that point, but no matter how nice my classmates were, or how interesting the course material could be, I had lost all interest. It was so very unlike me to let anything get in the way of my schooling, it was the most important thing in my eye, but this was an entirely bizarre situation in itself.

            I had not seen, nor heard, from Zayn over the passing days after the premiere. I could not find him after the viewing of the movie, and he had not shown up at the coffee place. I knew he was avoiding me, it was the only reason he would not have gone to seen Joe, the only reason Joe wouldn’t be able to look me in the eye every time I asked after him, but some part of me, a foolish, naïve part, hoped that he was just busy, and that I’d still be able to sort this all out with him.

            Snow was heavy on the ground as I trudged toward the coffee shop. Classes had been let out early because of a severe weather warning. Ridiculous, I might add, because it was always horrible here, and a little more snow shouldn’t have gotten in the way of classes. Regardless, I was somewhat happy about my freed time because it meant I could get a little writing done. I’d been extremely neglectful, I realized, for the past few months, and Jules had recently imposed a deadline, after my outing had become a huge success.

            Life pretty much carried on the same for me after the premiere, with the exclusion of Zayn being absent from my life. I was hardly bothered except for the odd person who could actually recognize me and ask for an autograph. I had been afraid of nothing, I now knew. I could carry on just as I was. They knew my name but they didn’t know me. I found that slight blessing in my line of work.

            Zachary had been my rock through this entire thing. He’d spent more than a few nights consoling me with chocolate and tissues in my room. He was so kind and sweet to me, that if he hadn’t had a boyfriend I would have made a move on him myself, even in my vulnerable state.

            I tugged my scarf tighter around my neck, my shoulders hunching upward as I checked my phone for messages. As I suspected, I had missed one by placing my phone in the pocket of my large coat. Zachary had to bail on the coffee, I saw as the message appeared. I was a little disappointed. I was tired of going to Joe’s by myself, and feeling extremely alone amongst all the empty seats, but I was almost there already, and there was no point in turning back.

            Bells chimed a bit as I stepped into the shop, a recent addition to the place. It had been a shock the first time and Joe had gotten a good laugh out of my terrified expression. Zayn would have laughed too had he been there. My heart clenched, as it always did, when my thoughts happened to stray toward the man, so I shook it off and unbuttoned my coat.

            “Hello Joe,” I mumbled, looking down at the zipper I was struggling with. “I know I’m a bit early but classes are out and—”

            I stopped speaking almost immediately as I looked up, spotting an occupied booth. It was not the elderly couple who came in once a week for some lunch together, because it was only Tuesday and they always came around Friday. It was Zayn, in the flesh, not on my computer screen in an article I was reading to make sure he was still alive and alright. It was truly, right before me, Zayn.